The international influence of Italian brands is once again on the rise, and though the Italian economy stuttered in 2017, Milan as a fashion capital had a knock-out year. Donatella Versace’s supermodel tribute to her late brother Gianni went viral back in September while Gucci continues its triumphant resurgence. Like-for-like sales at the Florentine company were up 49.4 percent in the third quarter of 2017 (the latest data available), accelerating from growth of 39.3 percent three months earlier. Earlier this year, Pierpaolo Picciolo received a standing ovation for his most recent couture collection at Valentino, as he continues to establish himself as a singular talent, while Miuccia Prada has returned to memorable form in recent seasons.

Although many Italian companies are still comparatively young — the majority were created after WWII, most after 1975 — and are still led by their founders, or their founder’s relatives, Italy has 11 brands that report over €1 billion in revenue. That figure is set to jump to 12 once Versace crosses that revenue threshold, as expected. Despite this high density of billion-euro brands, the Italian fashion industry is notable for its lack of consolidation. Italy is yet to produce a conglomerate of the scale of LVMH, Richemont and Kering. Renzo Rosso’s Only the Brave Group, which controls Diesel and Maison Margiela is however expanding, acquiring Marni in 2015 and accessories brand Paula Cademartori in 2016.

With its mixture of established global mega-brands and emerging talent like Arthur Arbesser and Stella Jean, fashion career opportunities in Italy are diverse and unique to the country. Its rare blend of craft and commerce combined with la dolce vita have made building a career in Milan, Rome and Florence an increasingly attractive proposition, with applications to Italy growing by 15 percent in 2017.